All that we have
achieved in life & will in future,
is with the Blessings & Guidance of -
AHURA MAZDA

This web site is dedicated to
our beloved father
Keki Bejonji Pestonji
Who without saying much, taught us a lot in life

General Information on the
Zoroastrian Religion (Parsis in Particular)

Zoroastrians or Parsees are
followers of the Prophet Zoroaster or Zarathustra who is regarded by
most religious scholars as the first prophet to propagate the religion
of a monoestic God - Ahura Mazda –The All Divine - All knowing
God, to the people of his time in ancient Iran, which today would be
the areas around modern Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan etc.

His life story also reads a
lot like that of other Preachers, but he propagated the law of choice,
the right for each person –male or female, to make their own
choice for all things on the planet, and results for same will be meted
out to you according to the actions and words you take up on earth. The
famous doctrine of -Good Thoughts, Good words & Good deeds was
preached by him, to mankind in early times.

The religion developed &
spread to vast areas & was of great importance under the various
mighty Persian rulers & various Persian dynasties . Mighty warriors
and kings like Cyrus, Darayes, Xerxes, Kia-Khushru are well known. At
its high point of glory the Persian Empire covered an area from east
Europe to West of India & to the south of China & into Egypt .

Many are the contributions
of the early Persians to modern society. Apart from great heights
reached in Architecture, astronomy, medicine, mathematics, warfare
tactics, tolerant governance, ship building, trade with foreign lands,
the ancient Persians also are credited with the founding of the worlds
first postal system & courier service, allowing religious tolerance
to all captured lands, treating the vanquished people with dignity, as
also the first charter of human rights, amongst other great deeds.

The Parsees /Parsis are the
followers of this same religion which has survived centuries, through
conquerors, great ups and downs in their history & the major shift
was around the seventh century AD when a lot of them migrated to India
to save their religion from the marauding Arabs of the time, who were
converting people to Islam at the tip of the sword. These followers of
Zoroastrianism played a very low key part in the affairs of the Indian
peninsular till the advent of the Portuguese’s and mainly
later the British in the 17th century. As they originated from
the province of Pars in Iran, they came to be called the Parsees

Since then, they have
excelled in every field in India and most people know of some
Zoroastrian in India & will certainly vouch for to have
touched their life in some way or the other. The names of great
stalwart families like the Tata’s, Wadia’s, Petits,
Jeejebhoy’s, Godrej s is known to most Indians and taken with
reverence. The Zoroastrian’s are in the forefront in every field
of human endeavour in India & are renowned for their honesty,
philanthropy, fair play, charity and assistance to everyone

We have innumerable stalwarts
in the community in each field, here are a few to make us proud!

India’s first Field Marshal, Sam
Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw

First Indian owned bank –Central
Bank started by Sir Sorabjee Pochkhanawala

And who can forget the Great products like
Godrej cupboards & typewriters, Refrigerators & Soaps, Polson
& early Amul butters, The Taj hotels, Dukes & Rogers drinks,
Yezdi motorcycles, Oliajees of Devka & Dorabjees of Pune, The
multitude of Irani restaurants of Bombay, Parsi Dairies sweets &
pure milk, Balliwala & Homi Opticians, the Parsi pegs of four
fingers high (open fingers) And innumerable other products in the
Indian peoples daily life

In fact a list of Imminent Parsis runs like
an A to Z list

There is a lot of
information on the wide world of internet and books on Parsis, but a
few excerpts from a recently published book, make us all proud to be
Zoroastrians

Quotes from a Book,
“My Fabulous Religion” by Khushru Nariman Panthaky,
published by Mazda Publications, Ahmedabad,
First Edition: May 1986

“We recognize in Zarathustra a man
who was far in advance of his times, who proclaimed already in a remote
antiquity a monotheistic religion to the people, who conceived from a
philosophical stand point, the Being of the Godhead, the relation in
which man stands to Him, and the origin of evil”.

Prof. Geiger (p. 2)

“The most important of all
out-standing facts of Iranian history is the religious reform brought
about by Zarathustra. He was the first man we know who gave a
definitely moral character and direction to religion and at the same
time, preached the doctrine of monotheism which offered an eternal
foundation of reality to goodness as an ideal of perfection”.

Dr. Rabindranath Tagore (p. 3)

“Zoroastrianism is the oldest
of the prophetic religions. Its history is almost twice as long as that
of Christianity”.

John R. Hinnels in “Zoroastrianism
and the Parsis” (p. 7)

“…it is impossible to find
in antiquity, so true, so noble, so ideal a belief in the resurrection
of the body, the life hereafter, the coming of a saviour, the rewards
and punishments for the immortal soul”.

The spark of the sacred fire has never
been quenched, the holy flame continues to blaze and the religion of
Zoroaster still lives on. Yes, and whatever may be the changing fates,
it will live on, so long as there are successors worthy to bear the
name of the Parsees today, those faithful followers of the Creed of the
Prophet of Ancient Iran”.

“Zoroaster the Prophet of Ancient
Iran ” by A.W. Williams (p. 8)

Zoroastrianism has profoundly influenced
all the great religions of the world”.

Browne, in “Literary History of
Persia ” (p. 15)

“…several of the principles
of the religion of Zarathustra were incorporated in the religion of the
Jews, and thence these principles have permeated the other Semitic
religions like Christianity and Islam”.

In Aga Poure Davoud (p. 16)

"Not for nothing is the Parsi
community still protected and preserved”.

Mr. C. Jinaradas (p. 27)

“I honour the Parsi community
for the desire to keep up its purity of blood and its tenacious
strength and character which have enabled it to live and flourish so
long with distinction”.

Pandit Madan Mohan Malavia (p. 27)

“We have the strongest of
guarantees that their (Parsi) children and children’s children,
will everlasting uphold the glory of their race, and I hope, their yet
to be restored nation in the future, even as did their most famed of
famous forefathers in their renowned past, whether of the great
Sasanian or yet greater Achaemenian name”.

Sir George Birdwood (p. 27)

“In fact our religion is well
preserved by the orthodox people in its pristine purity. Whether the
orthodox Parsees understand or not the meaning of the canons and
ceremonial rites of the good Mazdayasni Religion, it is due to their
immense faith in the religion that they have been enjoying the divine
blessings from time immemorial.”

Ervad Dr. Peshotan Peer (pp. 29-30)

“The Christian insists upon
religion being taught in his schools, the Mussulman has his
Mohammedan-Anglo- Oriental College at Aligarh …. The Hindu has
the D.G.V. College, the Gurukula Academy and the Central Hindu College
and its sister institutions. And the Parsi? What has he got? Nothing.
True the Parsi community is small, but it makes up for that in energy
and ability. I will not believe that the Parsi parent cares less about
the welfare of his child than do the parents of other faiths. And yet
he allows him to go to schools in which his faith is set at naught, is
ignored, or if mentioned is compared disadvantageously with another
religion.

“Mazda alone knows what untold
hardships these persecuted people (the Parsis) underwent for the
protection of their ancestral Faith. The whole world is indebted to
these zealous devotees whose suffering and sacrifice enable all the
nations to hear the exalted voice of the earliest prophet once again.
If not for the intrinsic worth of this noble scripture, at least out of
grateful remembrance of the anxieties and agonies of his forefathers,
the Parsi youth ought to take up the Gatha in his hands. He should not
allow this noble treasure, for which his forefathers gave their lives,
pass into oblivion by his negligence”.

“As regards the Parsi, the position
is quite different....Racially he does not belong to the larger
masses...Biologically he has kept himself aloof from the rest of the
country all these 1000 years.…..Socially he has evolved
definitely on different lines from the various elements that make up
his environment.…..Traditionally he will cherish the memory of
his great past and lives up to the ideal as far as
possible.…..Numerically he is the tiniest, yet highly
intelligent minority not only in India but in the whole
world.….. Socio-biologically this community is a wonder. No
community so small can ever remain intact after a lapse of some thirty
to forty generations in contact with an equally great civilization if
not greater. It must break up or disintegrate before the final
break-up. The very fact that neither of these two things has happened
shows that there is something inherent in it which is worth preserving.
It therefore behoves not only the community itself to keep out of inter
marriage but also the large communities to leave it severely alone in
the interests of the world at large and India herself in
particular”.

Mr. Shapur Faredun Desai, in ‘A
Community at the Crossroads.’ (p. 37)

“The so-called reformists amongst
us are so to say, Zoroastrians in name only. They are all hardboiled
materialists who do not believe in anything spiritual perhaps even God,
and all that is beyond human vision. The esoteric side of Religion is
beyond their mental calibre. That is why they want to do away with
temples, rituals, ceremonials for the dead as well as living in short,
the Prophet and His Holy Religion.

A Parsi, though most tolerant, most
law-abiding and a member of the microscopic minority of India will not
tolerate any attack on his greatest, most valued heritage of
Zoroastrianism and purity of blood, either from within or without. A
Parsi is most obliging and friendly as long as he is safe with his
noble heritage _ Religion and Blood. Once these two or any one of the
two are attacked, and put in danger of getting lost, a Parsi will grow
not only impatient, disloyal, discourteous and wild, but even at the
risk of his everything, a Parsi youth will come out to fight the
heretics”.

Dr. Homi Ratansha Bana, Ph. D., F. P.
S., F. C. A. (p. 39)

“We are against mixed
marriages not on the grounds of our assumed superiority but because we
emphatically maintain that our religion and culture deserve to survive
and not be frivolously frittered away. We maintain that mixed marriages
are condemnable for Parsis, calamitous to the very existence of our
community, and detrimental to the interests of the Parsi girl, who
thoughtlessly embarks on the perilous voyage.

Love is an instinct, and instinct, say the protagonists of mixed
marriages, cares not for distinction between Parsis and non-Parsis.
Scientifically speaking, love is an instinct in an animal of one sex to
seek the society of an animal belonging to the other. The instinct is
irresistible in an animal, but in an educated human being it is
controlled and guided by reason.

Eating, drinking, and sleeping are also instincts, but reasonable
people do not eat like swine, drink like fishes, do not sleep till the
sun is high in the heavens. There is no reason why love, though the
most powerful and sacred of instincts, should be an exception to this
rule. Advocates of mixed marriages have trotted forth the theory that
their aim thereby is to bring about world unity and universal
brotherhood.

In fact, no greater chimera ever escaped the human brain. World unity
is the fulfilment of communal and national life, and is not to be
attained by the extinction of a community or nation. Mixed marriages
are said to be altruistic in their aim. If so, they are a species of
senseless, altruism and misdirected philanthropy. Mixed marriages
absorb the small communities, while the goal is left as distant as ever.

The larger communities lose little or nothing by mixed marriages; it is
the smaller one that is swamped o overwhelmed, so as to lose its
communal identity. Nay, the bigger communities even gain in volume by
such marriages, as the ocean gains in bulk by the absorption of the
streams while it is the stream that is lost beyond recognition in the
process.

The bigger communities can afford to sleep over this matter, which is
of vital importance to the Parsis who must ‘Awake, arise or be
forever fallen. What is wanted is an ardent desire to maintain our
communal existence; we wish it survives as a community, not to be a
thorn in the flesh of other communities. We wish to stand up as a
consolidated community, not to serve ourselves but to serve our country
and the world”.

Below is another very
crucial historical information supplied to us by Dimple Bhagat

When
'Persia' became 'Iran'

This article is a
part of 'Persia or Iran' by Professor Ehsan Yarshater, published in
Iranian Studies, Vol. XXII, No.1, 1989. In 1935 the Iranian government
requested those countries which it had diplomatic relations with, to
call Persia 'Iran,' which is the name of the country in Persian. The
suggestion for the change is said to have come from the Iranian
ambassador to Germany, who came under the influence of the Nazis.

At the time Germany was in the grip of racial fever and cultivated good
relations with nations of 'Aryan' blood. It is said that some German
friends of the ambassador persuaded him that, as with the advent of
Reza Shah, Persia had turned a new leaf in its history and had freed
itself from the pernicious influences of Britain and Russia, whose
interventions in Persian affairs had practically crippled the country
under the Qajars, it was only fitting that the country be called by its
own name, 'Iran.' This would not only signal a new beginning and bring
home to the world the new era in Iranian history, but would also
signify the Aryan race of its population, as 'Iran' is a cognate of
'Aryan' and derived from it. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
sent out a circular to all foreign embassies in Tehran, requesting that
the country thenceforth be called 'Iran.' Diplomatic courtesy obliged,
and by and by the name 'Iran' began to appear in official
correspondence and news items.
At first 'Iran' sounded alien (for non-Iranians), and many failed to
recognize its connection with Persia. Some (Westerners) thought that it
was perhaps one of the new countries like Iraq and Jordan carved out of
the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, or a country in Africa or Southeast
Asia that had just been granted independence; and not a few confused it
with Iraq, itself a recent entity.

As time passed and as a number of events, like the Allied invasion of
Iran in 1941 and the nationalization of the oil industry under Prime
Minster Dr Mohammad Mosaddeq, put the country in the headlines, the
name 'Iran' became generally accepted, and 'Persia' fell into
comparative disuse, though more slowly in Britain than in the United
States.

The information above
hopefully provides a deeper understanding for you our dear reader as
you start your journey, to learn more about the Parsis in Jhansi

History of the Zoroastrians
/ Parsees in Jhansi

Jhansi, the town where we were
bought up, holds a special charm that probably can only be felt, by
those who have lived in Jhansi. We are a unique community which is
always ready for fun, laughter, to face challenges and willing to
assist anyone.

Jhansi is situated in Central India. It adjoins Datia and Gwalior, and
the principalities of Orcha, Lalitpur, Banda, Bina and Shivpuri. The
landscape generally is rugged. But as it is blessed with many rivers
and their tributaries, it has many fertile regions where vegetables and
fruits grow abundantly. Their taste is the taste of Jhansi, and
they are very much in demand all over India

Jhansi is a growing Metropolis. It was a part of the area known as
Bundelkhand, after the Bundella warrior kings who ruled here for an
extensive period of time. A look at the map of India shows, that Jhansi
stretches all the way from Uttar Pradesh into Madhya Pradesh Its place
in history can equal that of Agra, Gwalior and Delhi.

For is it not
Jhansi, which produced the fearless queen Rani Laxmi Bai who took
on the British single handedly one hundred and fifty years ago. Her
exemplary courage to defend her kingdom and her adopted son from the
grave injustice of the British, has earned her a unique place in Indian
history
Jhansi is on the crossroads of trade and commerce, and it had many
skilled craftsmen and traders.

Jhansi has produced many other illustrious people who have contributed
considerably to the field of art, poetry and sport.

Other Little Known Facts of Jhansi

Freedom fighter Chandra
Shekhar Azad

Ranee Durgavati

Renowned Aviator Amy
Johnson
First flight landed in Jhansi in 1930 (even before the other major metro cities of the country)

Chandra Shekhar Azad the
militant Indian revolutionary (a close colleague of Sardar Bhagat
Singh) in the 1940's when hiding from the British, intermingled with
the populace of Jhansi, worked, as an assistant to a motor mechanic for
months undercover, unnoticed & then left Jhansi.

Historically the warrior like people resisted aggressors and people
like Chatrasal, Durgavati, Raghunath Rao and in modern times the famous
dacoit queen Phoolan Devi, later a politician are all from this area.

Incidentally Jhansi is the place where the renowned famous British lady
aviator Amy Johnson, landed during her solo flight on 11 May 1930. She
was the first women aviator to fly solo from Britain to Australia
departing from Croydon UK on 5 May 1930 flying all alone, without any
navigational support to Darwin in Australia where she landed on 24 May
1930. She made landings in various cities on the way, before landing in
Karachi, Pakistan (at that time a part of India) then on to Jhansi,
where she landed on 11 May 1930.

Not many people even know of
this event in Jhansi & not one person in Jhansi has ever mentioned
this to me, to date. She did not stay long, was probably only a fuel
stop & short rest, as she landed in Calcutta on 12 May 1930, on way
to Australia.
There are many other people like Rashtriya kavi (National poet) Shree
Mathlisharan Gupt, the 1940's hockey wizards Roop Chand & Dhyan
Chand and his son Ashok Kumar in the 1970's National Hockey team.

Left: Sohrab Mody

Another
connection is that India’s first technicolour movie produced in
1952 was Jhansi ki Rani. The maker; Sohrab Mody (phot left)
was a Parsee. His wife Mehtab played the role of the famous Ranee of
Jhansi
Victoria Cross, the highest military award for exemplary bravery in the
battlefield, under extreme duress & for demonstrating courage under
fire, a great number of these were awarded for soldiers during the
Battle of Jhansi, a battle that lasted just a few weeks, but was so
ferocious & well managed the British General Rose , opposing the
Ranee marvelled and exclaimed later the Ranee was the bravest man, of
the Indian Rebels.

People who
remember the famous Indian historical movie Mughal E Azam may remember
Raja Jai Singh (Role played by actor Ajit)the famous Mughal General,
who gives shelter to the young prince Jehangir (Played by actor Dilip
Kumar) when Jehangir is defeated in battle against his father Akbar.
Raja Jai Singh was from the Bundelkhand area. The Raja gave shelter and
protection to the Prince and his consort of the time, Anarkali and
later died protecting them from the invading Mughal army.

John Masters famous book-
"Bhowani Junction", and later a popular movie may be based on Jhansi
& the town mentioned as Bhowani supposedly could be Jhansi. The
similarities are too uncanny to go unnoticed & the spy arousing the
locals against the British and the Congress party of the time could
have been based on the real life character of Freedom fighter
Chandrashekhar Azad, at that time hiding in Jhansi under the guise of a
mechanics assistant.

This note would be incomplete if we were not to add –Dhyan Chand
the famous son of Jhansi , the Hockey wizard who dazzeled the world in
his prime

His quicksilver agility on
the field, & as captain of the Indian hockey team became
legendary. Such was Dhyan Chand's reputation that people thought he
used a special hockey stick. Olympic officials in Holland took it apart
to see if there was a magnet inside. In Japan, they decided he used
some sort of super glue. German dictator Adolf Hitler offered to buy
Dhyan Chand's hockey stick & even offered him a very high rank in
the German Army if he would migrate to Germany. A Vienna sports club
has a statue of Dhyan Chand depicting him with four arms holding four
hockey sticks!

Left: Dhyan Chand
Dhyan Chand was a member of the Indian hockey team which won a gold
medal in its first appearance in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. He played
a stellar role in its win in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. In the 1936
Berlin Games, Dhyan Chand was the captain and led India to victory over
Germany in the final. Out of the 338 goals scored by the Indians in 37
matches in 1932, Dhyan Chand contributed an astounding 133!

It is remarked that once he
got control of the hockey ball, no one & no one could prise it off
him. The ball was, as if glued to his stick. He kept playing till the
mature age of 42 years, and retired from the game in the year 1948.
Dhyan Chand met Don Bradman, the Cricket Maestro at Adelaide in the
year 1935. After watching him play Hockey, Bradman commented “He
scores goals like runs in Cricket.”

His brother Roop Singh also was a brilliant hockey player. The genius
of this man was later also visible in his son Ashok Kumar who also
represented Indian hockey teams for a while.

I clearly remember that my father used to mention that a lot of the
Parsee Zoroastriasn used to play with him and his family members when
they were young. Unfortunately Dhyan Singh/Chand was never able to
capitalise on his greatness and before his death was not in a secure
financial condition. He passed away on 3 December 1979 in Jhansi &
the town gave him a farewell never to be seen again. I personally was
there at the time and I have never seen a bigger congregation of people
in the town before as then. The Governmanet of India honours this
son of Jhansi with celebration of his achievements and life –by
celeberating Dhyan Chand’s birthday (29th of August) as National
Sports Day.

Railway Hospital

Divisional Railway Manager Office

Suraj Prasad Govt Girls Inter College

Old laskala Cinema (now a School)

Old Tempo

ST. Joseph's hindi High School

New Shops

Jhansi Hotel (Over 100 Years Old)

Sadar Bazar

But this is the story of the Parsis in
Jhansi

Let me clarify
that this is not a scholarly historical text, just a record of what we
have been researching, so some facts may be missing and if you come
across something or some one who can add on to this site, it is most
welcome. The site is to record and remember the stalwart Parsis of
Jhansi and their deeds, their lives, their memories, records for future
generations to remember. So kindly assist us to add more detailed
information on your family and friends. Above all comes out the great
spirit of Zoroastrianism
in each one of us, so share your knowledge with others also.

Our Gratitude To...

Our sincere thanks to all the countless
people who have contributed to the development of this site, but
especially to the following people: